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You must have noticed that currently, many people have turned in for video blogging or vlogging as it is called. So why has there been such an exponential rise in the number of vloggers? The answer is simple. It not only acts as a means to express your creativity or your thoughts, but also earns you a decent amount of money. If the vlogs become successful, they can fetch its owner thousands of dollars per month. The last survey on earnings of video bloggers revealed that PewDiePie was the highest earning blogger with a monthly income of approximately $15,000,000 per annum. Now that is quite a lot of money. Other vloggers like Roman Atwood and Lily Singh follow the lead with $7,000,000 per annum.
If you may not have known, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg who goes by the screen name PewDiePie, dropped out of his academic program just to focus on his online video game reviewing. At the time, he did not have the huge mass following that he now has. However, he did have a number of dedicated followers. So as expected, the move shocked his parents, who thought that it was only an excuse for him to play video games full time. So if you think about it, one thing is certain, being successful as a video blogger does not need any academic credentials, and no degrees are needed for getting rich. His story has definitely inspired many around the world.
Starting a video blog does not, however, mean that you are getting rich overnight. It may take months or even years to accomplish the excellence that Felix Arvid or other high earning vloggers have reached, but if you know how you correctly channelize your vlog, it can definitely fetch you a decent sum of $1000 per month. In fact, given the amount of time needed for making videos, this may not be a very bad amount, especially for starters. This, however, keeps fluctuating depending on the time of the year. The holiday months, especially December is the highest earning month for every vlogger. These months receive an almost exponential hike in the amount of video streaming. So if you are thinking of starting a vlog, it is not only the content that you should be bothered about, you may also want to give a thought about the most suitable time for starting your vlog.
Listed below are some of the must-know facts if you are thinking of starting your own vlogging channel:
1. Think of a Central Subject for Your Vlog
If you want a wider audience for your vlog, you should make it a point that each one of your videos is interesting and nonrepetitive. They should also be able to hit the audiences and keep them coming back for more. Repetitive viewers are the most important aspect of successful vlogging or in that case, any type of blogging. Therefore, it is essential that you choose a theme that allows you to think of something new every time you make a video. Choosing topics like travel, lifestyle or cooking may offer you more versatility. Whatever be the topic, the point is that your storehouse of ideas should never get depleted.
2. Choose of an Attractive and an Easy to Remember Name for Your Channel
The name is the key. Having an attractive name does more than you can imagine. The name should not be too over the top and neither too mainstream. It should be easy for the audiences to read and remember or you will run the risk of losing potential followers every now and then.
3. Get a Good Camera and Lighting
You cannot be making low-quality videos and expect a huge following. Doing so may also tarnish your image and keep you from getting followers. So it only makes sense to invest in a good camera. This will allow you to make high-resolution videos which will be more interesting to watch. If you are not yet ready to buy a camera or if you do not have enough budget to do so, then you should try high-quality lighting. Without enough light, even the best of cameras may fail to give you the desired results. On the other hand, very good lighting with a medium to high range phone camera will do a perfectly good job for you. Given the fact that lighting is much cheaper as compared to cameras, this can be a cost effective and also a risk-free alternative, without you having to compromise on the video quality.
4. Creating and Editing the Contents
When you are making a video for your blog, the first thing is to be thoroughly updated on whatever you are going to be working on. You would not want to give away erroneous information and give way to criticism. It is best to keep your conversation or rather the one-sided conversations as bias-free as possible, make it a point to never bring up sensitive topics.
The next thing is how you portray yourself and your thoughts. You should be able to cut down on your video length as much as possible, while also covering the entire topic. The final and the most important thing is to portray an interesting and likable personality, who the audiences can liken to themselves. This being done, you are good to go.
5. Make Around 10 Videos When You are Starting Off
One thing about video blogs is that they tend to get addictive. So if you have caught someone’s attention, they will want more. Having a good stock of videos will mean that you can keep them engaged for a considerable amount of time. If you succeed in garnering their admiration, you will have higher chances of these audiences frequently visiting your vlogs. So basically, the videos during your start off period are of critical importance as these will be the ones that are going to determine the popularity and traffic to your vlogs.
6. Posting and Promoting
Simply creating content and uploading these to your channel are not going to be effective. You also have to see if your videos are getting the required attention. So working to improve your online visibility is of utmost importance. You may connect with fellow vloggers and ask them to mention you on their vlogs. Even if this can direct only a fifth of the audiences to your channel, it can be of immense help. You can also create vlogs on the trending and most searched topics to catch eyeballs. Another way to catch attention is by offering giveaways. This may sound a bit cheesy, but you can try to tone it down by keeping it as subtle as possible.
7. Regular Updates and Interaction With the Audiences
The final and the most important thing is to post regularly on your channel, you cannot be asking for vacations. Frequent updates are the only way to build trust among your followers. Interacting is also equally important. It will not only help you connect with your followers, but also learn their likes and dislikes, so you can modify and shape your channel accordingly.
This being done, the next thing is to look for ways to monetize your vlogs. The smarter you work, the more you earn. If you look into the contents of some of the most popular vloggers, you will definitely notice that they are not very much of the hard workers. Of course, the dedication should be there, but the most important thing is passion. You should be working out of passion and not get weighed down in the pursuit of making money.
Following are some of the most effective ways to monetize your vlogs:
1. Advertisement
Advertisement is the greatest contributor to revenue generation from vlogging. Advertisement can be of two types. You can either have the brands play out their commercials before your videos or you can directly refer to a certain product in your contents. The trick is to make the reference as subtle as possible. The audiences may not be very appreciative if your vlogs look too commercialized.
2. Display Links to Your Video
While watching the videos, you may have noticed that there are links displayed on the screens while the videos play. The vloggers get paid a certain percentage every time the links get clicked.
3. Graphics at The Beginning and at The End of a Video
The graphics displayed before and after a video is also a source of revenue generation. In this case, the vloggers get paid depending on the amount of views that the particular video receives.
4. Redirecting Your Page to a Different Page
Most of the time, when one video ends, the server gets redirected to another page. The vlogger will decide on whom he/she is going to re-direct or if the viewers should get re-directed at all. Either way, the revenues go to the vlogger who is re-directing.
5. Sponsoring
You may either sponsor professional companies or your fellow vloggers. In both the cases, you will be earning revenue. However, be careful about who and what you are sponsoring, as it also affects the reputation of your channel.
6. Promotional Selling
In this case, you will give your viewers a little bit of information about a certain product and provide a link where they can learn more or get hold of the product. This is also a great option if you are looking forward to establish your own brand or starting a campaign.
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